The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "LESSONS FROM A VIOLET" for Thursday, 16 June 2016 with Scripture James 5:13-17

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "LESSONS FROM A VIOLET" for Thursday, 16 June 2016 with Scripture James 5:13 Is someone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is someone feeling good? He should sing songs of praise.

14 Is someone among you ill? He should call for the elders of the congregation. They will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer offered with trust will heal the one who is ill — the Lord will restore his health; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, openly acknowledge your sins to one another, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Eliyahu was only a human being like us; yet he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and no rain fell on the Land for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the Land produced its crops.
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The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
After returning from a long vacation, I retrieved my African violets from a friend. Three of the four plants had lovely purple flowers and deep green leaves. The fourth had soft, yellow leaves and no blooms. I was surprised, but then I recalled that I hadn’t seen blossoms on that plant for at least two years.
Patiently, I continued to water all my violets, even the fourth plant. Gradually, its leaves turned from pure yellow to a pretty shade of yellow-green, but it remained flowerless. Eventually a tiny purple flower appeared! It seemed to be hiding under the leaves — just waiting to be discovered. Then, more blooms popped up among the now-green leaves. Each day brought me joy as I checked for more flowers.
What spiritual life lessons this hardy little plant provided! God is with us, even when we least expect it. Patience, persistence, faith, and prayer will bring us blessings. How many of us have found our prayers answered after we had already given up hope! We may encounter people and situations that turn out to be just the answer to our prayers. Like the unexpected bloom, situations like these remind us that God is working in our lives.
The Author: Linda Kinde (Florida, USA)
Thought for the Day: God’s answers to prayer can transcend anything I can imagine.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to be hopeful and to trust you. May we always expect your nearness, protection, guidance, and love. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE LACKING HOPE

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